Method of reforming angle bars



- 9 L. s. WILBUR 2,232,987

ETH

L! OD 015 REFORMING ANGLE BARS Filed Aug. :5, 1939 v l v i I LAWRf/VCE S. MLBUR Patented Feb. 25, 1941 UNITED STATES METHOD OF REFORMING ANGLE BARS Lawrence S. Wilbur, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Carter Blatchford, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application August 3, 1999, Serial No. 288,109 4 Claims. (01. 29-169) My invention relates to angle bars which are used for splicing'or fastening rails, and is more particularly directed to the reformation of worn angle bars to be used for splicing new or worn rails. To that end the invention relates to the conversion of the head contact type of angle bars into the head free type of angle bars which possess exceptional advantages as splices for either new or worn rails.

Rail joint angle bars are used generally by railroads for splicing sections of rails and the conof the rails are drawntoward each other and exert a wedging action relative to the underside surface of the rail head and the top surface of the rail foot.

As the top portion of the angle bars wear and become loose they are pulled toward the rail web to compensate for the wear. When they bottom against the web no further wedging action is obtainable and the angle bars then require replacement. The undersides of the rail heads are subjected to some wear but the greatest proportion is borne by the angle bars, particularly at their medial portion.

It is sometimes the practice to cut ofi the worn ends of the rails and splice such cut rails with new or reformed angle bars, the latter being reformed to provide a straight top edge having a uniform head contact with the undersides of the heads of the cut rails. Another practice is to reform the worn angle bars to provide a longitudinally crowned top edge to fit the undersides of the heads of the worn rail ends.

There are objections to both practices from. the standpoint of discarding portions of still usable rails and the inability to use the reformed angle bars with new or differently worn rails.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide a method for converting worn angle bars into the head free type of angle bar which takes its loading engagement in the rail head fillet thereby using an entirely new bearing surface unaffected by previous wear. This method eliminates the need of cutting off worn rail angular loading engagement thrust between the rail head and the rail foot than the head contact type of angle bar. This angular loading engagement provides greater stability and strength which effectually keeps the rails in proper alignment and provides for further take up to compensate for later wear which occurs between the contacting portions of the angle bar and the rail.

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the embodiments thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section, with parts in elevation, illustrating a pair of my reformed headfree rail angle bars bolted in position relative to a rail;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section illustrating, in full lines, a head contact type of rail angle bar as applied to a rail, with the dotted lines indicating a finished headfree type of bar;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating, in dotted lines, the initial step in the reformation of a head contact type of bar to a headfree type of bar;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, illustrating the second step in the method of my invention;

Figure5 is a view similar to Figures 3 and 4, illustrating the final step in the method of reforming rail angle bars according to my invention, the dotted lines indicating the outline of y the finished headfree bar similarly shown in Fig-' ure 2.

Any of several practices may be resorted to for converting a head contact type of angle bar into a head free type of angle bar, as indicated in Figure 2, including hot pressing operations with dies which is a practice used in the present instance. It should be understood, however,

that the several'steps referred to in the reformation of angle bars in accordance with the meth- 0d of my invention are used merely for the purpose of illustration, and, actually the various steps take place virtually simultaneously.

As shown on the drawing:

In Figure 1, the reference numeral 5 designates arail to which is applied a pair of reformed angle bars 6. These angle bars 6'are drawn into a wedging position by a bolt 1 which is tightened, as the top surface of the angle bars wear, by a nut 8-locked against a washer 9.

Each of the reformed angle bars 6 consists of a web portion I I, a head portion I2 and a foot.

loading and deflection forces may be distributed properly.

Illustrated in Figure 2 in full lines, is a, worn angle bar 6a as applied to the rail 5, which discloses the full head contact between the top surface III of the angle bar head I2a and the underside surface I5 of the rail head I6. The web IIa connects the angle bar head I2a andthe angle bar foot flange I30, which flange engages the foot flange II of the rail at the engaging surfaces I8 and I9. While the web Ila of Figure 2 is disclosed substantially parallel to the center line of the rail 5, it should be understood that other types .of .head contact angle bars may be reformed by the method of my invention where the ,web Ila may lie in inclined position when applied to the rail.

As the top. surface II of the angle bar head I2a wears, the wear is compensated for by drawing the angle bar Iia bodily inward by the sliding engagement between the top and bottom surfaces of the angle bar and, the complemental surfaces of the rail 5 This is accomplished by tightening a bolt arrangement similar to that illustrated in Figure 1. By drawing the angle bar 6a. inwardly a wedging action results relative to the complemental rail.- This wedging action is limited'by the rail web, for when the angle bar head I2a engages the rail web further travel of the angle bar inwardly is impossible.

The dotted lines, of Figure 2, indicate the outline of the reformed or'flnished headfree type of rail angle bar. This diagrammatic view serves as an illustration of thecomparison of the rail angle bar both before and after the reformation thereof by the method of my invention. The dotted outline of the re-formed angle bar is shown in full lines in Figure 1.

Referring to Figure 3, the dotted lines indicate the outline of the primary step in the operation of reforming a head contact type of bar.- Thls step serves to rotate the angle bar head I2a outwardly around an axis 20, which axis is located on the top of the outer face 2| of the web Na and which extends along the length of the angle bar. As shown in Figure 3, an angle 22 is thereby formed between the top surface I4 of the angle bar head In and the underside surface I5 of the rail head I6. This angle 22 results in the freedomv of the head I2a from contact with the underside of the rail head I6. While the angle 22 may vary depending upon the type of and wear on the angle bars to be reformed, I have found generally an angle of 2 to 4 is sufllcient for most practical purposes and one which gives the best results.

version of a'rail angle bar according to this invention, The partly convertedang'le' bar 6?) of Figure 3 is illustrated in Figure 4 in full lines. In carrying out this step, the web Ila is displayed inwardly to a position as indicated by Ilb. Simultaneously, the outer face 2| of the web is straightened to form the flat face 2Ia. During this operation, the exterior angle which is formed by the top surface Ila of the angle bar head and the web faces 2I and 2la remain unchanged. In other words, theangle bar. head is not revolved but is displaced transversely of its former position. This step also serves to slightly elongate .the web I Ib, depress the foot flange as indicated at IIb and to lengthen the foot flange as indicated at 23. r Y T Figure 4 illustrates a further step in the coninclined foot flange of the rail to adjust for such It should be understood at this point, that these die pressing operations perform not only bending but sufllcient displacement of metal to form the angle bar in each' step as outlined by the exterior angle of the outer bolting face 2Ia and the newly inclined underside surface Iia of the foot flange. By increasing this exterior angle an increase in the clearance at the point 24, between the underside surface of the angle bar foot flange and the upper inclined surface I9 of the rail flange, is provided to facilitate inward and upward adjustments of the foot flange of the bar, as clearly shown in Figure 2. This operation also serves to decrease the bearing'surface I8 immediately adjacent the clearance 24. Simultaneously with the tilting of the foot flange, the metal on the lower inner corner 25 of the angle bar head is displaced diagonally upward and inward to reform the upper inner corner 26 of the head into a rounded bearing element 26a adapted for bearing engagement in the curved seat 21 provided by the rail head fillet.

As clearly shown in Figure 2, the resulting head-free type of angle bar engages the complemental rail in the upper bearing fillet seat 21 at the top, and on the upward slidable bearing engagement foot flange I3c, as at I8, on the bottom or foot thereof.

One of the structural advantages obtained by using a headfree type of angle bar is the diagonal .centerline of the loading engagement thrust which stabilizes and strengthens the rail to keep it in gauge and surface alignment. As illustrated in Figure 2, the center line of the loading. engagement. thrust of the head contact type of angle bar is substantially normal to the head contacting surfaces while in the headfree type of angle bar it is angularly spaced at a greater inclination relative to the vertical axis of the rail than in the head contact type of bar,

The flnal shape of the reformed headfree type of angle bar provides an outer bolting face 2Ia. in vertical parallel spaced alignment with the vertical axis of the rail which insures a full contact with the clamping bolt head and nut to facilitate the even drawing of the angle bars toward each other. As the bearing within the rail flllet wears, the tightening of the bolt causes the foot flange of each bar to slide upwardly on the wear and retain the wedging action against the rail head. i

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that this method of reforming angle bars is directed to a feature of displacing metal of the angle bar head from a free portion thereof to a bearing corner without in any way weakening the structure thereof. My method of reforming angle bars involves the feature of increasing the exterior angle betweenthe outer bolting face 2I and the plane of the inclined underside surface III of the rail foot'flange. likewise, the exterior angle between the outer bolting face 2I and the top surface Ila of the angle bar head is increased. I

Although the form of rail joint angle bars may It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is, therefore, not

the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon of the 1. The method of reforming an anglebar for rail joints by a pressure reshaping operation which comprises rotating the head of the bar toward the outer face of the bar and relative to the web of the bar to move the rail head contact portion of the bar head away from rail head contact position, flowing metal from the lower inner corner portion of the bar head to move metal inwardly from the normal inner top corner of said head for creating a rail flllet engaging portion, and moving the web of the bar relative to the foot portion thereof to place the outer er face of the web in a vertical position when applied toa rail, elongating the web, flowing metal from the lower inner corner portion of the bar head to move metal inwardly from the normal tive to. the foot portion thereof to place the out-' inner top corner of said bar head for creating a rail fillet engaging portion, and tilting the overhanging portion of the foot flange toy increase the exterior angle between the outer face of the web and the bottom of the overhanging flange portion without disturbing the exterior angle between the outer face of the web and the rail engaging foot portion.

3. The method of reforming an angle bar for rail joints by a 'pressure reshaping operation which comprises rotating the head of the bar toward the outer face of the bar and relative to the web of the bar to move the rail contact portion of the bar head away from rail head contact position and moving the web of the'bar relative to the foot portion thereof to place the outer face of the web in a vertical position when applied to a rail while maintaining the head in said rotated position relative to the web.

4. The method of reforming an angle bar for rail" joints by a pressure reshaping operation which comprises rotating the head of the bar toward the outer face of the bar and relative to the web of the bar to move the rail head contact portion of the bar head away from rail head contact position, and flowing metal from the lower inner comer portion of the bar head to move metal inwardly from the normal inner top corner of said head for creating a rail fillet engaging portion. 4 I

LAWRENCE S. WILBUR. 

